Update on the Tropics, Another Depression Forming?
August 18, 2012 Leave a comment
There are three systems out there right now. We’ve had a new hurricane and tropical storm form today and another system is on the way.
Tropical Storm Gordon became the third hurricane of the season today. Gordon is moving to the east at 21 mph and will not affect us here in the U.S. Right now Gordon has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, making it a Category 2 hurricane. Gordon is expected to continue to strengthen and has the potential to become a major hurricane before it dissipates some time on Wednesday.
We also had Tropical Storm Helene form Friday and is expected to dissipate over Mexico tonight. Helene was the remnants of Tropical Depression Seven and reformed late Friday afternoon. Helene is now a Tropical Depression and producing strong rain and sustained winds of 30 mph.
We are also watching Invest 94, a tropical disturbance in the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Invest 94 is currently located about 550 miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. The system is showing signs of organization as you can see in the picture above. Environmental conditions appear conducive for a tropical depression to form during the next day or two. The National Hurricane Center gives this system a 60 percent chance of becoming a tropical cyclone within the next 48 hours. It is currently moving to the west at about 20 mph.
Right now it appears that Invest 94 could make its way into the Caribbean Sea. The forecast models show it heading in a general direction to impact the northern Caribbean islands. There is a lot that could happen with this system. If it makes it to the side of the islands it could continue to strengthen as opposed, it could directly hit the islands which would hinder additional development of the system.
Current intensity forecasts show that the system has a chance of becoming a tropical storm within the next 24 hours and some develop it into a hurricane within the next few days. Again, this is all dependent on the track that the system takes and how affected it is by landmasses in the Caribbean Sea. We are a long way out from Invest 94 potential impacting the U.S. but we will keep an eye on it, in case it does come this direction.
Daniel Sparkman
dsparkman@wvuatv.com
WVUA Weather
